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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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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: wound · court · press · stand · leaves · chip · tear · drill

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — for sport
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. court — of law
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. drill — the tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tear — to rip
  24. drill — army training

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