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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: saw · press · object · wound · roll · cue · straw · board

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. press — to push
  3. cue — for pool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. roll — a cake
  15. object — to protest
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — an aim
  20. cue — a hint
  21. object — a thing
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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