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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — not warm
  4. press — newspapers
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bat — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. press — to push
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rock — a stone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. board — a committee
  21. rock — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — an illness

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