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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. board — a committee
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — to get on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — employees
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. staff — employees
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bank — for money

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