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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. season — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — a committee
  12. cell — in biology
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — the tool
  19. board — to get on
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cell — a phone
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — a flat piece

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