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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — to get on
  4. spring — of water
  5. swing — music
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. face — to confront
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — completely
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fork — in a road
  19. face — part of the head
  20. board — a committee
  21. spring — the season
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fork — a garden tool

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