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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: march · court · rule · rash · press · game · mouse · leaves

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of a king
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. press — newspapers
  7. march — music
  8. court — of law
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rule — government
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — the month
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. march — the month
  17. game — a match
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rule — a law

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