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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 · sharp · fall · shower · board · root · press · cap

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — to push
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. court — for sport
  5. board — a committee
  6. sharp — clever
  7. board — to get on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — of law
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cap — a lid
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — of ice
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. root — of a word
  20. cap — a hat
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — a publisher
  23. root — the cause
  24. shower — rain

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