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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — help
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. board — a committee
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. craft — boats
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stand — to bear
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — for tennis

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