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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: hand · straw · mouse · bay · fall · chip · foot · present

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. present — there
  4. hand — help
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fall — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. present — the time now
  10. hand — in cards
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. present — a gift
  24. fall — to drop

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