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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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. hide — animal skin
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — an amount
  6. press — newspapers
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — a contest
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — humankind
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mate — to breed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — a tin
  17. mate — a friend
  18. content — happy
  19. press — to push
  20. race — the arms race
  21. degree — temperature
  22. board — a committee
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — the amount

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