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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: toast · straw · bat · stand · hand · club · board · fork

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fork — in a road
  4. board — a committee
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. toast — bread
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. club — a group
  12. board — to get on
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — for golf
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — the animal

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