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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: fine · press · toast · arm · bound · court · land · season

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. press — newspapers
  5. court — of a king
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — to come down
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — certain
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — in sport
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. land — a country
  21. court — of law
  22. bound — tied together
  23. toast — bread
  24. arm — part of the body

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