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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. board — to get on
  3. pit — a hole
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — a committee
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — a position
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — the earth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cold — not warm
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. club — a group
  24. pit — in a race

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