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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — to cut
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to click
  14. board — a committee
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. clip — a video
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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