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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bank — for money
  6. key — in music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bank — for money
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. board — to get on
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chest — a box
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bank — of a river

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