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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 116 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: fan · board · object · hand · press · suit · firm · court

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — a company
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. firm — decided
  10. press — to push
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hand — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of a king
  17. object — to protest
  18. firm — steady
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. board — to get on
  24. suit — in cards

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