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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. can — a tin
  3. firm — steady
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. press — a publisher
  9. firm — decided
  10. cue — for pool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fall — the season
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — a hint
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitch — completely
  20. firm — a company
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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