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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 120 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. board — a committee
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — to get on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — music
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. march — the month
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bank — for money
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — a leader
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — not warm

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