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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. branch — a division
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. present — there
  10. fork — in a road
  11. club — for dancing
  12. board — to get on
  13. cap — a lid
  14. key — in music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. chair — a leader
  24. club — a group

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