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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · march · press · bowl · staff · pound

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. march — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. press — to push
  10. pound — a weight
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. staff — employees
  13. march — the month
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. staff — a stick

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