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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chip — to eat
  6. scale — in music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chip — for betting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. row — to paddle
  13. season — of the year
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pass — a permit
  17. press — to push
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — a line

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