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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. charge — a price
  5. squash — to crush
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rash — hasty
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. board — a committee
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rash — a series
  20. board — to get on
  21. bark — to shout
  22. drill — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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