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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 120 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. board — to get on
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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