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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 · kick · pass · ball · court · net · pop · swing

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. press — a publisher
  4. swing — to play on
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. court — of a king
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — of law
  12. press — newspapers
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pop — soda
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. press — to push
  24. pop — to visit

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