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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. last — to go on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. board — a committee
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. scale — size or range
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. scale — in music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. nail — on a finger

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