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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — a committee
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — in cards
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. row — a line
  21. game — a match
  22. board — to get on
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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