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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — for money
  6. rash — hasty
  7. board — to get on
  8. bank — of a river
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. board — a committee
  12. mug — to rob
  13. race — humankind
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bank — for money
  21. mug — a face
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — a supporter

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