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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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — help
  6. press — a publisher
  7. board — to get on
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — a committee
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mug — to rob
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — newspapers
  24. safe — out of danger

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