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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — low music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — newspapers
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. board — a committee
  10. file — a line of people
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a tool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — a publisher
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. date — on the calendar

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