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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: bay · cell · staff · press · band · game · ball · board

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — a phone
  6. press — newspapers
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. board — to get on
  10. ball — a great time
  11. band — a music group
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. press — to push
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — in biology
  16. board — a committee
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. game — wild animals
  20. staff — employees
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — a match
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — a kind of play

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