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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: lash · court · press · season · fan · last · fork · board

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — final
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fork — in a road
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. last — finally
  14. board — to get on
  15. season — in sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. season — of the year
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. board — a committee
  23. press — to push
  24. fan — a supporter

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