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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: present · court · saw · fine · cold · press · chip · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. present — the time now
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. court — of a king
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. present — there
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cold — not warm
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. press — a publisher
  24. present — a gift

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