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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: pass · court · press · perch · band · saw · current · capital

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. capital — money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. band — a music group
  16. court — of a king
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a city
  20. court — for sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — newspapers
  24. court — of law

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