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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — a committee
  6. cue — for pool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pitch — completely
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. plane — a tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. cue — a hint
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. patient — a sick person

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