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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. object — to protest
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — a phone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rock — music
  17. object — an aim
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. object — a thing
  24. board — to get on

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