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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: firm · chair · pound · board · mate · saw · date · tear

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mate — a partner
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — a company
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. board — to get on
  11. mate — to breed
  12. firm — steady
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — a friend
  15. date — the fruit
  16. board — a committee
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. firm — decided
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — to hit hard

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