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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
468
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: staff · game · plane · stand · cabinet · chest · straw · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chest — a box
  10. plane — a tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. present — there
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. straw — dry grass

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