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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — a publisher
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. press — to push
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. toast — bread
  8. cell — a phone
  9. craft — boats
  10. staff — employees
  11. craft — a skill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. staff — a stick
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cell — in biology
  18. toast — the most admired

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