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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chair — a leader
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — to get on
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. board — a committee
  15. swing — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — in golf

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