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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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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. season — of the year
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. board — to get on
  11. stand — to bear
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. press — to push
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — a publisher
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tube — in a tire

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