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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — the season
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — magic
  11. board — a committee
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — a match
  14. press — to push
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. deal — an agreement

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