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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. land — a country
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. season — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — ground
  15. rock — a stone
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — of the year
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. land — to come down
  23. board — to get on
  24. straw — a straw man

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