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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 · sharp · fork · bank · plane · race · jam · court

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bank — for money
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. race — a contest
  8. press — newspapers
  9. race — humankind
  10. plane — a tool
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. press — a publisher
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. court — for sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bank — of a river
  24. sharp — exactly

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