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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — a committee
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — final
  6. bank — of a river
  7. net — after costs
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — a position
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. object — an aim
  20. last — finally
  21. net — for catching
  22. object — to protest
  23. last — to go on
  24. kick — in football

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