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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chest — of your body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — all right
  9. drill — a practice
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. board — a committee
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. board — to get on
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — a box
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. press — to push
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. press — a publisher

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