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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. roll — a cake
  3. file — a document
  4. board — to get on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — a publisher
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — to push
  16. file — a line of people
  17. roll — a list
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. press — newspapers

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