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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rest — a break
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a song
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — child
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rest — what's left
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. track — a path
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. track — to keep track

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