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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: plane · bat · arm · bay · board · chair · bear · straw

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bat — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — the animal
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — a tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. board — a flat piece

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