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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. track — a path
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — to get on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — to push
  7. board — a committee
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — newspapers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. band — a music group
  18. track — a song
  19. band — a ring
  20. branch — a division
  21. rush — hurry
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. press — a publisher

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