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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — to get on
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — the season
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — a series
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. board — a committee
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. press — newspapers
  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