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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: kick · chair · rock · board · clip · stem · cap · mug

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mug — a cup
  4. board — to get on
  5. clip — a video
  6. mug — a face
  7. rock — music
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cap — a lid
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cap — of ice
  15. board — a committee
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chair — a leader
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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