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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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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: race · bound · straw · patient · chip · board · bear · kick

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — a committee
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — to get on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. race — a contest
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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