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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. press — a publisher
  6. net — in sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — a committee
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lie — to recline
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rash — a series
  24. bear — the animal

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