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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: spring · stick · press · bowl · leaves · can · chair · game

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. game — wild animals
  3. can — a tin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — to push
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — to be able to
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — a match
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bowl — a football final

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