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

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. board — a committee
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — a position
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chair — a leader
  12. capital — a city
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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