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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bound — certain
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. chair — a leader
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. club — a group
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — to get on
  13. club — for golf
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. board — a committee
  18. last — finally
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — final
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. last — to go on

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