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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. firm — a company
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. row — to paddle
  9. firm — decided
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — a match
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. firm — steady
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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