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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pop — music
  3. press — newspapers
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pop — soda
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cap — a hat
  11. press — to push
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pop — to visit
  15. game — a match
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. press — a publisher
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. board — a flat piece

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