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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: kid · board · pitcher · hand · coach · race · bear · straw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — humankind
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — to tease

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