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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rash — a series
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chair — a leader
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — to crush
  16. march — music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — to sit on

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