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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chair — a leader
  3. track — a song
  4. lean — to bend
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. file — a tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. mug — a cup
  9. board — to get on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. net — for catching
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. file — a line of people
  17. track — a path
  18. club — a group
  19. mug — a face
  20. file — a document
  21. lean — thin
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. lean — to rest against

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