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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. board — to get on
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. game — wild animals
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. craft — boats
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. game — a match
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — for baseball

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