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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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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: staff · foot · press · chair · branch · cell · bowl · pitch

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — a division
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cell — a phone
  12. press — newspapers
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. cell — in biology
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — a stick
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. press — to push
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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