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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rush — hurry
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. cold — not warm
  10. board — to get on
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. board — a committee
  15. press — to push
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. shower — to wash
  23. press — newspapers
  24. safe — out of danger

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