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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. board — to get on
  3. band — a ring
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. swing — music
  10. board — a committee
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. band — a music group
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rest — a break
  22. pass — a permit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. board — a flat piece

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