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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pit — a hole
  5. board — a committee
  6. clip — for paper
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pit — in a race
  15. board — to get on
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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