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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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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: club · board · race · sharp · straw · kid · mouse · press

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. board — to get on
  3. club — for golf
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. club — a group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. race — the arms race
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kid — to tease
  16. press — a publisher
  17. board — a committee
  18. press — to push
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mouse — for a computer

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