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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — money
  7. game — a match
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. last — final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — to get on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. board — a committee
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. straw — dry grass

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