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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. race — a contest
  4. board — to get on
  5. race — the arms race
  6. board — a committee
  7. press — to push
  8. race — humankind
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — a publisher
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — for digging
  16. game — a match
  17. spell — letters
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ruler — a monarch

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