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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. last — finally
  3. board — to get on
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. last — to go on
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to click
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. roll — a list
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. board — a committee
  23. last — final
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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