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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. board — a committee
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. board — to get on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — newspapers
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. race — the arms race
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wound — an injury
  18. deal — to handle
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — humankind
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. press — to push
  24. race — a contest

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