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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. board — to get on
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. track — to keep track
  9. deal — to handle
  10. track — a song
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a line
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — a path
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. row — to paddle

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