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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. press — to push
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — temperature
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — to get on
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. board — a committee
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — from a university

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