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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.

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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: row · plane · board · straw · toast · kick · suit · bat

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — to get on
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. row — to paddle
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — the animal
  12. toast — bread
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. board — a committee
  18. kick — in football
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. kick — with a leg

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