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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 120 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: fan · press · ground · court · bass · suit · spell · squash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — letters
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spell — magic
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — newspapers
  10. squash — the sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bass — low music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — of law
  19. ground — the earth
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. press — to push
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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