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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. season — in sport
  3. present — a gift
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. board — a committee
  7. pound — a weight
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. present — there
  15. season — of the year
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — to get on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. present — the time now
  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