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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. land — a country
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. board — a committee
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wax — to grow
  8. board — to get on
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ball — a great time
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a grade
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ball — a dance
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mark — a trace

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