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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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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: ground · straw · sharp · mine · tube · present · pitcher · board

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. present — there
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mine — for digging
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — a position
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. board — a committee
  24. mine — an explosive

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