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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: mate · arm · press · court · rest · ground · coach · face

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rest — a break
  15. court — of law
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mate — a partner
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — for sport
  24. mate — to breed

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