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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rule · fan · game · cue · firm · straw · arm

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — a law
  3. firm — decided
  4. cue — a signal
  5. firm — steady
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a match
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. board — a committee
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. game — wild animals
  20. board — to get on
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rule — government
  24. cue — a hint

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