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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ball — a great time
  3. board — to get on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a dance
  6. face — part of the head
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. prune — to trim
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wound — an injury
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. face — to confront
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — in music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. key — for a lock

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