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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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. tube — in a tire
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — to cut
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tube — a container
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. clip — a video
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — the underground
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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