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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. object — to protest
  3. court — for sport
  4. board — a committee
  5. rule — government
  6. board — to get on
  7. court — of law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. object — an aim
  10. rule — a law
  11. court — of a king
  12. press — newspapers
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. current — electric
  15. press — a publisher
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. object — a thing
  18. current — of water
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — happening now
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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