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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
468
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 · stand · game · mine · bowl · mouse · craft · row

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stand — to bear
  11. craft — boats
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — a line
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. game — a match

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