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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tube — a container
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chair — a leader
  14. land — ground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — part of the body

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