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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — final
  6. row — a line
  7. last — to go on
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pop — soda
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — to paddle
  18. last — finally
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pop — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — to recline
  23. date — the fruit
  24. board — to get on

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