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

Word bank: press · chair · stick · degree · leaves · straw · board · foot

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. board — a committee
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. degree — an amount
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — newspapers
  13. foot — a measure
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — a leader
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. press — a publisher
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  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