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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. press — a publisher
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. season — of the year
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. board — to get on
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. press — to push
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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