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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. board — a committee
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rash — hasty
  8. march — the month
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. board — to get on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — help
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — a series
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. branch — a division
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. kick — a thrill

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