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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. board — to get on
  10. present — the time now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rock — music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. present — a gift
  19. root — the cause
  20. mate — to breed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. root — of a word
  24. present — there

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