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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chair — a leader
  3. board — to get on
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. press — a publisher
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. press — newspapers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a committee
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. press — to push

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