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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. press — a publisher
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. press — to push
  11. field — for sport
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — in sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. staff — employees
  18. toast — bread
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mark — a grade

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