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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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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: press · court · wave · suit · rash · cold · pit · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. press — to push
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rash — hasty
  6. court — of a king
  7. press — newspapers
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. court — for sport
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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