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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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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: board · stick · capital · bark · deal · straw · chip · chest

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. board — to get on
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bark — to shout
  9. capital — money
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. capital — a city
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chest — a box
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chip — to eat
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. chip — in a computer

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