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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. court — for sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. object — to protest
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — army training
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — a thing
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. object — an aim
  17. drill — a practice
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ball — a great time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — to go away

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