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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ground — the earth
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — after costs
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. spell — magic
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. spell — letters
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — a position
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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