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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spell — letters
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chair — a leader
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spell — a short time

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