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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.

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: game · fan · bass · craft · press · court · bowl · stock

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. craft — a skill
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. court — of a king
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bass — the fish
  11. craft — boats
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — newspapers
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. court — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. court — of law
  24. game — a match

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