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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pound — a weight
  5. game — a match
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cap — a hat
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bark — to shout
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mate — a friend
  23. board — to get on
  24. chair — a leader

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