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

Word bank: tear · rule · toast · ground · board · chair

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. board — a committee
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — a position
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — to get on
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rule — government
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. toast — bread
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — a law

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