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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 120 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: snap · staff · press · stock · bowl · march

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. march — the month
  6. press — a publisher
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. march — the month
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. snap — to click
  13. march — music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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