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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 116 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: board · row · net · mug · degree · press · bay · rash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — a series
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mug — to rob
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mug — a face
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. board — a flat piece

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