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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rash — a series
  6. bat — the animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. current — electric
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. board — a committee
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — to get on
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rash — hasty
  24. press — newspapers

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