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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — a path
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — finally
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — to keep track
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. pop — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — soda
  14. squash — the sport
  15. track — a song
  16. pop — to visit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. board — to get on
  22. current — of water
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. squash — to crush

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