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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rule — a law
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. board — a committee
  5. file — a document
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bulb — for light
  10. board — to get on
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rule — government
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bulb — for light
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. craft — boats
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rash — a series

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