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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. drill — a practice
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rest — a break
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. drill — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — army training
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. board — to get on
  24. trunk — of a tree

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