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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. board — to get on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — a match
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chest — a box
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. racket — for tennis

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