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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. foot — a measure
  7. face — to confront
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. face — part of the head
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. press — newspapers
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. press — a publisher
  19. board — to get on
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. press — to push
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. board — a committee

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