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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: row · ground · mouse · wind · board · game · calf · straw

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. board — a committee
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ground — the earth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. board — to get on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. game — a match
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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