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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — to get on
  4. rule — government
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cap — a lid
  8. degree — an amount
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — thin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. degree — temperature
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rule — a law
  20. cap — of ice
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to rest against

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