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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — a partner
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — a committee
  7. mate — a friend
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — to breed
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. row — a line
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. snap — to click

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