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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: straw · land · board · mouse · swing · craft · bay · degree

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. degree — temperature
  6. board — to get on
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — from a university
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a committee
  19. craft — boats
  20. degree — an amount
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. swing — music

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