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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. roll — a cake
  4. object — to protest
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — a list
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — electric
  12. key — in music
  13. current — happening now
  14. chair — a leader
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. current — of water
  19. face — to point toward
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — to confront
  23. wake — a trail
  24. roll — on a roll

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