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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chair — a leader
  5. club — a group
  6. board — to get on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rule — a law
  10. suit — in cards
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — a series
  14. cap — of ice
  15. board — a committee
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. suit — clothes

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