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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rest — what's left
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — to get on
  14. rest — a break
  15. press — newspapers
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. board — a committee

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