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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · board · rock · drill · track · straw · hand · rest

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hand — help
  5. rash — a series
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rest — what's left
  10. track — a path
  11. rest — a break
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — army training
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rock — a stone
  20. board — a committee
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hand — in cards

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