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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. board — to get on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. snap — to click
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. board — a committee

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