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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. last — finally
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. net — after costs
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pound — for dogs

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