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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: court · saw · kick · rock · press · fine · spring · pitch

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rock — music
  5. court — of law
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — high quality
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rock — a stone
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fine — all right
  24. court — for sport

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