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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. track — a song
  11. stock — shares
  12. chair — a leader
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — a path
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. board — a committee
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — to get on
  22. stock — goods
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — dry grass

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