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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bank — of a river
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cell — a phone
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. craft — boats
  12. board — a committee
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spell — magic
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — to get on
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — wild animals
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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