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

Word bank: press · kick · bay · march · file · bowl

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. file — a document
  9. press — to push
  10. march — music
  11. kick — in football
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — a thrill

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