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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hand — in cards
  7. board — to get on
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rash — hasty
  13. press — newspapers
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. last — finally
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — to push
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — to go 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