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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
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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: date · roll · can · foot · mine · cell · court · press

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. court — for sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. can — a tin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — to be able to
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. court — of law
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — to push
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cell — a phone
  19. roll — a list
  20. court — of a king
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. foot — a measure
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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