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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — in music
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — to rob
  10. board — to get on
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bat — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. scale — size or range
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — a break
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — a division

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