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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. board — a committee
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — a series
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. file — a document
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. season — of the year
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. straw — a straw man

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