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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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468
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: press · season · stock · ball · foot · sharp · present · bowl

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. present — the time now
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — goods
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ball — a great time
  17. present — a gift
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stock — shares
  21. season — of the year
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — in sport
  24. sharp — clever

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