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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ball — a great time
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. staff — employees
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. board — a committee
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cue — a hint
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — help
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — to get on
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cue — for pool

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