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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fine — all right
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mate — a friend
  5. land — a country
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fork — in a road
  13. kid — child
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. board — to get on
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fine — high quality
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. press — to push
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fork — to eat with

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