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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a trace
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. squash — the sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — the time now
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cold — an illness
  15. board — a committee
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. squash — to crush
  19. press — to push
  20. board — to get on
  21. present — there
  22. rest — a break
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cold — the Cold War

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