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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mark — a grade
  4. shower — to wash
  5. board — a committee
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — to push
  10. mark — a trace
  11. season — in sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. board — to get on
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rush — hurry
  22. staff — a stick
  23. shower — rain
  24. pass — to spend time

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