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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. present — the time now
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bank — for money
  13. kick — in football
  14. ground — crushed
  15. scale — in music
  16. board — a committee
  17. present — a gift
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — there
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — the earth
  22. shower — rain
  23. ground — a position
  24. shower — to wash

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