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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. board — a committee
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fine — all right
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. last — final
  9. board — to get on
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for golf
  17. chair — a leader
  18. club — a group
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mark — a grade
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ground — crushed

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