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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cue — a signal
  5. field — for sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. board — to get on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — for pool
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. mug — a face
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — army training
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cue — a hint
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mug — a cup

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