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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 116 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
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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: land · calf · club · pitcher · straw · board · staff · cap

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. club — a group
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — to get on
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — ground
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. club — for golf
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. land — a country
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. staff — employees
  18. club — for dancing
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cap — a lid
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cap — a hat
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cap — of ice

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