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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.

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 · bat · deal · hand · bore · court · bear · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. deal — to handle
  6. court — of law
  7. bore — to drill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hand — help
  12. board — a committee
  13. court — for sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bear — the animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hand — in cards
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. court — of a king

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