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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — to push
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. board — a committee
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stand — to bear
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — a face
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. press — a publisher
  14. dip — to sink
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — to rob
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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