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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. vault — a safe
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. lean — to bend
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lean — thin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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