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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: board · arm · last · spell · land · press · roll · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. last — to go on
  5. press — to push
  6. spell — letters
  7. land — a country
  8. toast — bread
  9. spell — magic
  10. roll — a cake
  11. last — final
  12. press — a publisher
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. land — to come down
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — a committee
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. roll — a list
  24. board — to get on

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