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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rush — hurry
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. snap — to click
  8. file — a line of people
  9. key — the most important part
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bass — low music
  12. file — a document
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stand — to bear
  22. key — in music
  23. file — a tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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