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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: march · rock · court · bound · press · rest · season · foot

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. court — of law
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. season — of the year
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — to push
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. press — newspapers

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