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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — help
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a music group
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cap — a hat
  10. board — a committee
  11. stock — shares
  12. press — to push
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a ring
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cap — a lid
  20. board — to get on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wound — an injury

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