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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.

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: bowl · staff · suit · wake · squash · ruler · press · field

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — for sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wake — a trail
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. field — farmland
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. press — to push

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