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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fall — the season
  3. press — to push
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a music group
  16. press — a publisher
  17. last — finally
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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