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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chip — to eat
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mug — a face
  5. board — a committee
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pit — in a race
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chip — for betting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. row — a line
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mug — a cup
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — to get on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — to rob
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. row — a quarrel

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