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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mark — a trace
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. squash — the sport
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. board — to get on
  15. bat — the animal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. board — a committee
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bass — low music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bat — for baseball

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