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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. hand — help
  18. firm — steady
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. firm — a company
  23. press — newspapers
  24. firm — decided

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