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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. press — to push
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. object — a thing
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bat — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. object — an aim
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — newspapers
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. object — to protest
  24. bat — in an idiom

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