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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. press — to push
  3. race — humankind
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. board — to get on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cold — an illness
  17. swing — in golf
  18. race — a contest
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — newspapers
  22. net — after costs
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cold — the Cold War

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