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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · march · present · press · board · drill · safe · mark

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. march — music
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. march — the month
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. board — to get on
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. drill — a practice
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. drill — army training
  22. press — newspapers
  23. board — a committee
  24. present — there

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