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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · straw · mark · club · saw · press · chair · pitch

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. club — for golf
  8. saw — the tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — completely
  14. press — to push
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chair — a leader
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. club — a group
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — to pay attention

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