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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. board — a committee
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — to get on
  9. stock — goods
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — newspapers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spring — of water
  19. row — a line
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stock — shares
  23. spring — the season
  24. game — a match

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