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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. press — a publisher
  7. board — a committee
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ground — a position
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. press — to push
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. clip — a video
  20. board — to get on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mine — for digging

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