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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. board — a committee
  5. pop — soda
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — to get on
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pop — music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pop — to visit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kick — in football

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