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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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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: bass · stick · safe · court · leaves · board · press · cell

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. board — to get on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — of law
  10. press — to push
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in biology
  13. board — a committee
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — newspapers
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — of a king

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