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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — to get on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. drill — army training
  6. tube — a container
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. charge — a price
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — in music
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. court — for sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. board — a committee
  17. key — the most important part
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. key — in music
  20. court — of law
  21. key — for a lock
  22. court — of a king
  23. scale — size or range
  24. board — a flat piece

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