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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. net — in sport
  3. march — music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — a publisher
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a committee
  22. spring — the season
  23. board — to get on
  24. mark — to pay attention

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