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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. press — a publisher
  3. board — a committee
  4. bound — certain
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. net — in sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — an amount
  14. net — after costs
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. press — to push
  17. bound — obliged
  18. degree — from a university
  19. press — newspapers
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. degree — temperature
  24. board — to get on

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