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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 116 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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — money
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rest — a break
  6. track — a song
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. capital — a city
  13. board — to get on
  14. band — a music group
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a ring
  20. track — a path
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — a professorship

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