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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bound — obliged
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — certain
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fine — high quality
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fine — all right
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. board — a committee
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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