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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — the time now
  6. board — a committee
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. row — a line
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chair — a leader
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — to tire
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. present — there
  24. pitch — completely

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