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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: cabinet · ground · staff · chair · press · cap · saw · ball

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — crushed
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — a position
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. press — newspapers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ball — a dance
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — the earth
  20. press — to push
  21. ball — a great time
  22. staff — a stick
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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