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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: fork · chair · foot · board · snap · cold · bear · racket

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fork — in a road
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — the bottom

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