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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pit — a hole
  7. row — a line
  8. board — to get on
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. board — a committee
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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