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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: current · court · wave · fine · row · press · net · pass

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fine — high quality
  4. court — for sport
  5. pass — a permit
  6. row — a line
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. court — of law
  9. current — happening now
  10. net — in sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. court — of a king
  13. current — of water
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — electric
  22. press — to push
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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