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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · pitcher · club · board · bass · saw · net · row

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — to get on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bass — the fish
  10. press — to push
  11. club — for golf
  12. net — for catching
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — a group
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — low music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. club — for dancing
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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