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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · mark · fine · board · chair · dip

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — a country
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. board — to get on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — to come down
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — ground
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fine — high quality

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