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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: ball · leaves · pop · arm · racket · press · last · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. press — to push
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — final
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pop — soda
  9. press — newspapers
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. press — a publisher
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. last — finally
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. last — to go on
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a dance

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