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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: board · straw · last · staff · stem · net · court · deal

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — of law
  3. last — final
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — in sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. court — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — finally
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — to handle
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — to go on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — for catching
  19. board — to get on
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — a committee
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. straw — dry grass

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