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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: mine · board · march · arm · straw · ruler · ground · deal

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. deal — to handle
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. march — music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mine — belonging to me

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