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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. object — to protest
  5. content — happy
  6. board — to get on
  7. object — a thing
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spell — a short time
  11. deal — to handle
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — a committee
  14. mark — a trace
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spell — letters
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. object — an aim
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — the amount
  23. chair — a leader
  24. content — videos and posts

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