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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: rock · bat · stick · board · mine · chair · ground · fine

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — crushed
  8. board — a committee
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rock — music

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