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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spell — letters
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — low music
  8. kick — in football
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — to come down
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. press — to push
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. press — a publisher
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fall — the season
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kick — a thrill

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