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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chair — a leader
  3. board — to get on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — in sport
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. key — in music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — in an idiom

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