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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — a trail
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. firm — steady
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — decided
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. firm — a company
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. chair — a leader

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