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

Word bank: pound · racket · present · chair · board · clip

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — for paper
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chair — a leader
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. board — a committee
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. present — a gift
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. present — there
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pound — a weight

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