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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. row — a line
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. field — for sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — to get on
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hand — help
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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