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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. press — to push
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. swing — to play on
  6. land — a country
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitch — completely
  10. track — a path
  11. land — to come down
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. track — a song
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — to get on
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. land — ground
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chair — a leader
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — to keep track

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