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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stem — to come from
  7. firm — steady
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. firm — a company
  15. press — to push
  16. content — happy
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — to get on
  20. firm — decided
  21. file — a document
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. press — newspapers

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