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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. board — a committee
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — to get on
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pop — soda
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pop — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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