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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. board — a committee
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. press — newspapers
  10. board — to get on
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hand — help
  13. firm — steady
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. staff — a stick
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. degree — an amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — decided

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