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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: board · row · straw · present · squash · arm · racket · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — wild animals
  5. present — the time now
  6. board — to get on
  7. present — there
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. present — a gift
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. board — a committee
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — a line
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. racket — for tennis

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