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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. spell — magic
  5. board — a committee
  6. net — after costs
  7. mug — a face
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — to get on
  16. row — a line
  17. net — in sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — letters
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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