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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — finally
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — to drill
  9. board — a committee
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — to tire
  13. last — final
  14. press — to push
  15. last — to go on
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a flat piece

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