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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. board — to get on
  7. kick — in football
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. saw — the tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spell — letters
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spell — magic
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — for tennis

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