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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 120 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
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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: bore · bass · calf · deal · bowl · press · court · ground

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ground — a position
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. court — of law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bore — to drill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bore — to tire
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. court — for sport
  20. press — to push
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. court — of a king
  24. calf — of the leg

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