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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — newspapers
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. club — for golf
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — for dancing
  15. board — a committee
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — child
  18. press — a publisher
  19. object — an aim
  20. press — to push
  21. object — a thing
  22. club — a group
  23. object — to protest
  24. safe — out of danger

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