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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 · bowl · foot · press · face · pass · stem · arm

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. face — part of the head
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. face — to confront
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — to come from
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pass — a permit

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