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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: court · net · safe · jam · bowl · object · press · pop

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pop — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — after costs
  12. object — a thing
  13. court — of law
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. net — in sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — soda
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. object — to protest
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. press — a publisher

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