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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. net — after costs
  5. march — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pop — music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. drill — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. pit — a hole
  21. drill — army training
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. march — the month

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