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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: object · fork · straw · press · toast · cue · net · roll

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. press — newspapers
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. object — an aim
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a hint
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. toast — bread
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. roll — a list
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cue — for pool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. roll — a cake

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