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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cell — a phone
  4. board — a committee
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — newspapers
  7. board — to get on
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tear — from crying
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — for weighing

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