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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. suit — in cards
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. capital — money
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spring — the season
  15. capital — a city
  16. spring — of water
  17. suit — clothes
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. board — to get on
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. calf — of the leg

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