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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · foot · press · rash · game · leaves · clip · wave

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. foot — a measure
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rash — a series
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. press — to push
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. clip — for paper
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. game — a match
  20. clip — to cut
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. bowl — a dish

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