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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — after costs
  5. chest — a box
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — in sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rule — a law
  13. press — to push
  14. row — a line
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. board — a committee
  19. press — a publisher
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rule — government
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — of your body

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