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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.

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 · fan · mouse · pitch · arm · cold · staff · board

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — a publisher
  5. board — to get on
  6. staff — employees
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. press — newspapers
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — completely
  19. press — to push
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cold — the Cold War

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