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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. rock — music
  8. swing — music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. row — a line
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mine — for digging
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. club — for dancing
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. board — a committee
  22. rock — a stone
  23. club — a group
  24. swing — to play on

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