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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.

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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: bank · bass · court · game · clip · firm · mine · press

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. firm — decided
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. court — for sport
  6. firm — steady
  7. press — a publisher
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bank — of a river
  11. court — of a king
  12. press — to push
  13. game — a match
  14. bank — for money
  15. bass — low music
  16. clip — a video
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. clip — for paper
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bank — for money
  24. firm — a company

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