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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bank — of a river
  6. board — to get on
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. file — a document
  9. bank — for money
  10. board — a committee
  11. march — music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bank — for money
  18. ground — a position

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