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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. content — happy
  8. squash — to crush
  9. kid — child
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. board — to get on
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chair — a leader
  15. root — of a word
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. content — the amount
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kid — to tease
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. root — the cause

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