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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ball — a great time
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. ball — a dance
  10. board — to get on
  11. drill — a practice
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — army training
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — the season
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chair — a leader

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