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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mug — a face
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stand — to bear
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. board — a committee
  13. rock — a stone
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. game — a match
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — wild animals

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