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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. sharp — clever
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bore — to drill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. board — to get on
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rock — a stone
  23. board — a committee
  24. hide — to keep secret

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