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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: staff · foot · mate · root · pit · mine · press · bass

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. staff — employees
  6. foot — a measure
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mine — for digging
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. root — the cause
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — to breed
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. root — of a word
  20. press — to push
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bass — low music

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