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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: press · pass · season · fan · last · ball · staff · court

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of law
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — of a king
  8. last — final
  9. press — newspapers
  10. season — in sport
  11. last — finally
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  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