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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — from a university
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. row — a line
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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