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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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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: cabinet · court · mark · last · press · net · wave · bore

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — finally
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — of a king
  8. bore — to tire
  9. net — in sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — to push
  15. court — of law
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. last — final
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — newspapers

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