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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. board — a committee
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. sharp — clever
  13. board — to get on
  14. race — a contest
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. race — humankind
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pit — in a race
  24. race — the arms race

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