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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: deal · march · root · straw · board · chest · rock · game

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chest — a box
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chest — of your body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — wild animals
  14. root — of a word
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. march — music
  17. rock — music
  18. board — a committee
  19. rock — a stone
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. board — to get on
  24. deal — to handle

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