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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 124 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. press — to push
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. shower — to wash
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. press — a publisher
  16. game — a match
  17. board — a committee
  18. shower — rain
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. board — to get on
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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