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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spell — letters
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spell — magic
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pass — a permit
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a music group
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kick — in football
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. band — a ring
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. spell — a short time

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