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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. press — to push
  8. present — a gift
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — there
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — the time now
  16. rash — a series
  17. pound — a weight
  18. object — to protest
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cold — an illness

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