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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. board — a committee
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ball — a dance
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. board — to get on

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