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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: cap · can · game · bass · mate · track · chair · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mate — to breed
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. game — a match
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — a song
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. track — a path
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cap — of ice
  24. board — a committee

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