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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 124 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. press — a publisher
  7. net — in sport
  8. rock — a stone
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — newspapers
  13. craft — boats
  14. net — after costs
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a committee
  19. rock — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — for catching
  23. press — to push
  24. craft — a handicraft

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