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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. board — a committee
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fork — in a road
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. prune — to trim
  24. scale — in music

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