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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — to get on
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. board — a committee
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. swing — music
  8. vault — a safe
  9. swing — to play on
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rule — a law
  12. game — a match
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. capital — a city
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rule — government
  20. last — to go on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. capital — money
  24. board — a flat piece

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