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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. current — happening now
  5. board — to get on
  6. current — electric
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — of a king
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. land — to come down
  16. game — a match
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. current — of water
  20. court — of law
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bear — to put up with

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