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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · bowl · wake · mine · cabinet · face · net · press

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — in sport
  10. face — to point toward
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — after costs

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