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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. march — the month
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — the month
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — a stick
  10. board — a committee
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — a lid
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cap — of ice
  16. march — music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. chair — a leader
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — the season

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