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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. face — to confront
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a music group
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. band — a ring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chest — a box
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fine — high quality
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fine — all right
  24. racket — for tennis

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