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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rush — hurry
  3. press — to push
  4. deal — to handle
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bass — low music
  7. board — to get on
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. band — a ring
  10. board — a committee
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. band — a music group
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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