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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: board · chair · firm · season · squash · hand · fine · pit

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — a hole
  7. firm — decided
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. firm — a company
  10. board — to get on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. board — a committee
  17. firm — steady
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — to crush
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — help
  24. fine — high quality

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