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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chip — to eat
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — rain
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hand — in cards
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. board — a committee

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