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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bound — certain
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — after costs
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chip — to eat
  7. net — for catching
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — in sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. branch — a division
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — to get on
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bound — obliged

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