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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — to get on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. file — a document
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kick — in football
  13. file — a tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. squash — the sport
  18. racket — a loud noise

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