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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — a law
  7. mug — a face
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rule — government
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — shares
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stock — goods
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. board — a committee

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