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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: club · press · last · bowl · hide · lie · stock · present

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. last — finally
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. club — for golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. club — a group
  10. stock — shares
  11. present — a gift
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — there
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. present — the time now
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lie — to recline
  22. press — to push
  23. stock — goods
  24. press — a publisher

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