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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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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 · arm · rush · mug · straw · board · game · chair

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rush — hurry
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mug — to rob
  10. game — a match
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. board — to get on
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. board — a committee
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  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