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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — the month
  4. board — to get on
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. board — a committee
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — a container
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kick — in football
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. deal — to handle
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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