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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. club — a group
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bound — obliged
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. clip — to cut
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pop — soda
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — a video
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. club — for golf
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bound — certain

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