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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. board — a committee
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. file — a document
  8. last — final
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. clip — to cut
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. file — a line of people
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a tool
  24. chair — a leader

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