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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. board — to get on
  9. club — for dancing
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — for digging
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — the tool

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