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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ball — a great time
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. swing — music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. craft — a skill
  10. swing — to play on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. press — to push
  17. ball — a dance
  18. board — a committee
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. roll — a cake
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tear — to rip
  24. roll — a list

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