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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. net — in sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — newspapers
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a hint
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — a city

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