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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bat — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — to push
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. board — a committee
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wake — a trail
  21. ball — a dance
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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