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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cue — for pool
  3. board — to get on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. spring — of water
  12. object — a thing
  13. season — in sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rock — a stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. spring — the season
  24. season — to add flavour

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