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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 120 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: stick · press · stock · straw · board · lean · bat · content

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. press — newspapers
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — the amount
  5. stock — goods
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. board — a committee
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — shares
  15. press — to push
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lean — to bend
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. board — to get on
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — happy
  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