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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cue — a hint
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — a break
  12. board — a committee
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — of law
  19. race — humankind
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — a signal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. snap — to click
  24. race — the arms race

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