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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. content — happy
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a committee
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — a path
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. board — to get on
  19. bore — to drill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. track — a song
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bowl — a dish

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