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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — in sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. scale — in music
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. firm — a company
  14. cap — a hat
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tube — a container
  17. firm — steady
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. game — a match
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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