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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: current · court · march · fine · ball · press · firm · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. firm — a company
  3. court — of a king
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — ground
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. firm — steady
  10. ball — a dance
  11. current — happening now
  12. march — the month
  13. land — to come down
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fine — all right
  16. current — electric
  17. fine — high quality
  18. current — of water
  19. march — music
  20. firm — decided
  21. court — of law
  22. march — the month
  23. court — for sport
  24. fine — a penalty

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