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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fork — in a road
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hand — help
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — final
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. hand — in cards
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. last — finally
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ground — crushed

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