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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 120 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
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: snap · cabinet · degree · hand · board · chair · straw · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. snap — to click
  3. hand — help
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hand — in cards
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — temperature
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a committee
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. degree — from a university

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