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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — music
  6. board — a committee
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — a publisher
  12. board — to get on
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. track — a path
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — a song
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. press — newspapers

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