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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: stick · calf · hand · snap · bat · board · straw · chair

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. board — to get on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. board — a committee
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. snap — to click
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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