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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · game · pitcher · hand · arm · toast · straw · stick

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. toast — bread
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rash — hasty
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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