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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: fan · court · rash · object · snap · spring · press · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of a king
  4. object — an aim
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. court — of law
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spring — a coil
  15. snap — to click
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. spring — the season
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. court — for sport

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