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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · perch · jam · cabinet · court · cold · bass · press

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. suit — to fit
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. suit — clothes
  7. court — of law
  8. press — to push
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bass — low music
  15. cold — an illness
  16. court — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cold — the Cold War

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