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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. press — a publisher
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hand — help
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. ball — a great time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — to push
  17. bound — obliged
  18. board — to get on
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. ball — a dance
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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