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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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: straw · chair · game · fine · hand · craft · stem · pass

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — help
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. craft — a skill
  11. fine — all right
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — a leader
  22. craft — boats
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — a straw man

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