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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bass — low music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. board — to get on
  10. file — a document
  11. bass — the fish
  12. press — to push
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. file — a line of people
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bass — the instrument

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