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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. staff — employees
  6. board — a committee
  7. clip — for paper
  8. staff — a stick
  9. spell — a short time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — letters
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. staff — employees

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