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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cell — in biology
  4. net — after costs
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. board — to get on
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — for catching
  9. rest — a break
  10. capital — a city
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. board — a committee
  18. capital — money
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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