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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 · bat · pop · stick · press · kid · leaves · cabinet

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. press — to push
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bat — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. pop — soda
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kid — child
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — newspapers

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