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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — to get on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — happening now
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — letters
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — magic

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