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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. firm — decided
  3. board — a committee
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. firm — a company
  7. board — to get on
  8. press — to push
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. firm — steady
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. track — a path
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — hasty
  24. prune — to trim

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