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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. board — to get on
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. board — a committee
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — in football

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