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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: straw · tear · toast · board · land · mug · lean · game

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. toast — bread
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mug — a cup
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. land — a country
  8. mug — a face
  9. land — to come down
  10. mug — to rob
  11. board — a committee
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — ground
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. straw — a straw man
  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