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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pit — a hole
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. pit — in a race
  11. board — a committee
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bark — to shout
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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