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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. march — the month
  5. key — for a lock
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — a committee
  8. rush — hurry
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — in music
  21. board — to get on
  22. key — the most important part
  23. march — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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