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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — to get on
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. board — a committee
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fine — high quality
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chest — of your body

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