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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. board — to get on
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rock — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rock — to move gently

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