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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. present — there
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chair — a leader
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — music
  13. board — to get on
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bound — certain
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. board — a committee
  24. wound — an injury

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