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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: rock · sharp · board · mine · temple · straw · deal · rash

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — to get on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — a stone
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. straw — a straw man

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