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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. board — a committee
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — newspapers
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. press — to push
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mug — to rob
  15. board — to get on
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bound — certain
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bound — obliged

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