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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 · press · cell · rest · foot · tube · toast · bound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bound — obliged
  4. press — to push
  5. bound — certain
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. press — newspapers
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. toast — bread
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — a match
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — a phone
  24. foot — the bottom

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