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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. court — of law
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — for sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — to breed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — the animal

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