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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. press — to push
  4. present — there
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — for dancing
  8. board — to get on
  9. present — a gift
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — a committee
  12. press — a publisher
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mark — a trace
  24. present — the time now

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