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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — the tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. last — final
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. board — to get on
  10. cold — not warm
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. drill — army training
  21. can — to be able to
  22. last — finally
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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