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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · press · roll · foot · mate · ground · coach · court

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — a measure
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. court — for sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. roll — a cake
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — of a king
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ground — the earth

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