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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 116 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: press · spring · bound · fall · court · charge · march · game

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — the season
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — the month
  10. press — a publisher
  11. game — wild animals
  12. charge — electricity
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. court — of law
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. spring — the season
  20. court — for sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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