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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pop — music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. chip — for betting
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pop — soda
  13. board — a committee
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mark — a trace
  22. last — to go on
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chip — in a computer

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