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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — a line
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. board — to get on
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. row — to paddle
  22. board — a committee
  23. prune — to trim
  24. board — a flat piece

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