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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — a line
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — to push
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — a gift
  9. spell — a short time
  10. row — to paddle
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — magic
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. net — after costs
  16. press — newspapers
  17. present — there
  18. spell — letters
  19. present — the time now
  20. land — to come down
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — a country
  24. ruler — for measuring

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