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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — to get on
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — a subject
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bass — low music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — a match
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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