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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. object — an aim
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. board — to get on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. press — a publisher
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. press — to push
  16. pass — a permit
  17. object — a thing
  18. board — a committee
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — newspapers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. object — to protest
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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