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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — help
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chest — a box
  13. board — a committee
  14. hand — in cards
  15. board — to get on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. bear — to put up with

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