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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. file — a line of people
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. file — a tool
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. board — to get on
  11. bore — to tire
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. object — a thing
  15. row — a line
  16. mine — for digging
  17. press — newspapers
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — an aim
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. object — to protest
  23. file — a document
  24. dip — to sink

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