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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · cold · bat · fine · press · rest · court · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rest — what's left
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. court — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — of law
  10. cold — an illness
  11. court — of a king
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rest — a break
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bass — low music
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com