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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — to get on
  6. charge — a price
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — a committee
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tube — a container
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rock — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rock — to move gently

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