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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bank — for money
  4. scale — size or range
  5. press — a publisher
  6. object — an aim
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — to get on
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. row — a line
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. last — finally
  14. object — to protest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. press — newspapers
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — to push
  19. board — a committee
  20. scale — in music
  21. mine — for digging
  22. last — final
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bank — of a river

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