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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — to get on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. staff — employees
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bank — for money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bank — of a river

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