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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: press · kick · prune · mouse · court · bass · last · fine

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — in football
  5. last — to go on
  6. press — to push
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. court — of a king
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fine — all right
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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