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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.

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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 · leaves · chair · spring · mate · cue · press · content

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — a signal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mate — a friend
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — a partner
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — of water
  21. mate — to breed
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. leaves — lets stay

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