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

Word bank: stick · chair · bowl · straw · deal · staff

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — a stick
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chair — to sit on

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