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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. foot — a measure
  3. key — in music
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. sharp — clever
  12. board — a committee
  13. key — the most important part
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fall — to drop
  19. row — to paddle
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — for a lock
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — the season

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