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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · press · squash · drill · hide · mate · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a friend
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — army training
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. squash — the sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mate — a partner
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. press — to push

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