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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. present — a gift
  4. row — a line
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. press — to push
  8. stock — shares
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stock — goods
  11. present — the time now
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. press — a publisher
  19. march — the month
  20. row — to paddle
  21. march — the month
  22. present — there
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. snap — to click

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