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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — a price
  4. press — a publisher
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hand — help
  7. charge — electricity
  8. press — newspapers
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — temperature
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. degree — from a university
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — a committee
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. degree — an amount
  24. charge — in control

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