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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. content — happy
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. board — a committee
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — to get on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. content — the amount
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. content — videos and posts

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