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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. board — a committee
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. craft — boats
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. squash — to crush
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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