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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. swing — music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. swing — to play on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — a line
  7. swing — in golf
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. board — a committee
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pass — a permit
  14. board — to get on
  15. row — to paddle
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cold — the Cold War

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