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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hand — help
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. board — a committee
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. cell — in biology
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stem — to come from
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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