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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mate — a friend
  7. press — to push
  8. mate — a partner
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. fall — to drop
  12. toast — bread
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. press — a publisher
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. land — to come down
  20. mate — to breed
  21. press — newspapers
  22. land — a country
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — part of the body

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