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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — of water
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. board — to get on
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — the season
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. board — a committee
  24. rash — a series

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