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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — a short time
  4. drill — army training
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. board — to get on
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rush — hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — magic
  18. bear — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spell — letters
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stock — shares

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