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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. file — a line of people
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mate — a friend
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — to get on
  12. press — a publisher
  13. board — a committee
  14. cap — a hat
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hand — help
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. press — to push
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — of ice

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