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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. press — to push
  6. key — in music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. snap — to click
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — a publisher
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bass — the fish
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bass — low music

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