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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: board · deal · court · season · staff · press · leaves · mine

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — of the year
  4. press — newspapers
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. court — of a king
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. season — in sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — of law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. press — a publisher
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. court — for sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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