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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a match
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. capital — a city
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. board — to get on
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. press — to push
  20. capital — money
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. board — a committee

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