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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. press — a publisher
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. club — for golf
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a match
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. board — a committee
  14. stand — to bear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. press — to push
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — employees

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