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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — in sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spell — letters
  5. board — to get on
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. staff — employees
  9. toast — bread
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. net — after costs
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. board — a committee
  14. net — for catching
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — magic
  19. row — to paddle
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — a line
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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