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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. last — to go on
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cold — not warm
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — finally
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. last — final
  22. board — to get on
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cold — an illness

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