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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: content · court · swing · chair · mouse · wave · press · bass

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bass — low music
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. content — the amount
  12. press — to push
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — happy
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. court — of a king
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. swing — music

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