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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 120 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. squash — to crush
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. present — the time now
  5. drill — army training
  6. squash — the sport
  7. press — to push
  8. board — to get on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — low music
  12. board — a committee
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. press — a publisher
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bass — the fish

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