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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: bear · board · arm · rest · rule · cold · plane · chair

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. board — a committee
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rule — a law
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — a break
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rule — government

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