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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 · nail · cold · rash · court · plane · season · bound

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bound — obliged
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — in sport
  7. cold — not warm
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. press — newspapers
  11. court — of law
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — certain
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — a publisher
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — to push

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