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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. press — to push
  3. board — a committee
  4. toast — bread
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — thin
  9. spell — letters
  10. board — to get on
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. degree — from a university
  23. press — newspapers
  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