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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. net — after costs
  6. board — to get on
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. perch — the fish
  12. club — a group
  13. press — newspapers
  14. board — a committee
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. club — for golf
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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