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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mine — for digging
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. board — to get on
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a committee
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chair — a leader
  12. current — of water
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fine — all right
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bark — to shout
  18. current — happening now
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. current — electric
  21. court — of law
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mine — an explosive
  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