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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 120 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
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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: bowl · game · mine · cue · leaves · press · rock · rash

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. rock — music
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rash — a series
  10. game — a match
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. press — to push
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rock — a stone
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. press — newspapers
  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