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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. board — to get on
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — for golf
  15. rest — a break
  16. press — to push
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — in a race
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — a publisher
  24. present — the time now

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