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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. toast — bread
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. swing — music
  9. root — of a plant
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. swing — in golf
  16. can — a tin
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. board — to get on
  20. fine — high quality
  21. root — the cause
  22. swing — to play on
  23. can — a tin
  24. fine — all right

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