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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — to push
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. key — for a lock
  19. press — a publisher
  20. board — to get on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bear — to put up with

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