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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.

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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: hand · craft · rule · board · straw · can · racket · game

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rule — a law
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. board — a committee
  8. game — wild animals
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rule — government
  13. game — a match
  14. can — a tin
  15. craft — boats
  16. board — to get on
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — a skill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. can — a tin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — a handicraft

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