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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. board — to get on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. march — music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. march — the month
  21. degree — from a university
  22. board — a committee
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bulb — for light

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