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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: roll · present · saw · game · staff · press · bass · club

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. roll — a list
  5. present — there
  6. club — for dancing
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. present — the time now
  12. club — for golf
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. club — a group
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — low music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. roll — a cake
  23. present — a gift
  24. bass — the fish

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