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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.

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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — in football
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cell — in biology
  20. craft — boats
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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