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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. press — to push
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — after costs
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — in music
  16. net — for catching
  17. press — newspapers
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. board — to get on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. key — the most important part

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