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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. board — a committee
  4. club — a group
  5. last — finally
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for golf
  8. last — final
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lean — thin
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lean — to bend
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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