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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: kick · rush · court · field · cold · bay · tube · press

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cold — not warm
  7. court — of law
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — a container
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. field — a subject
  18. court — for sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. press — to push
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. rush — to hurry

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