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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: current · press · season · tube · court · march · date · calf

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. press — newspapers
  7. current — happening now
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. press — to push
  11. tube — the underground
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. court — of a king
  17. current — electric
  18. season — in sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — for sport
  24. tube — in a tire

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