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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mug — a face
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. press — to push
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — a publisher
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bat — the animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — rain
  21. board — to get on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. board — a flat piece

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