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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: board · pitch · staff · coach · toast · cabinet · press · spring

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. spring — the season
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. staff — employees
  7. toast — bread
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. press — to push
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — a coil
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spring — of water
  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