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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: press · court · coach · fine · ground · shower · pitch · cabinet

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ground — a position
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ground — crushed
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fine — high quality
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — of law
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — to push
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. shower — to wash
  17. court — for sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fine — a penalty

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