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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. press — to push
  9. bound — obliged
  10. board — a committee
  11. press — newspapers
  12. shower — rain
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — certain
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — to get on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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