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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: game · march · stand · press · saw · lash · fork · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. march — the month
  23. fork — in a road
  24. march — the month

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