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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.

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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: ruler · court · stand · press · chip · row · swing · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. court — of law
  6. chip — for betting
  7. row — to paddle
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. court — for sport
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. swing — music
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. row — a line
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. swing — to play on

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