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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · game · staff · mark · racket · board · scale · fall

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chair — a leader
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — in music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a match
  22. board — a committee
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fall — the season

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