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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — help
  11. row — a line
  12. race — the arms race
  13. board — a committee
  14. object — to protest
  15. race — humankind
  16. hand — in cards
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. object — a thing
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — dry grass

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