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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — to get on
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. board — a committee
  10. mug — a cup
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — a face
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spring — of water
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mug — to rob

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