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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: track · last · chair · shower · net · board · pitch · rock

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. last — to go on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. net — after costs
  7. track — a path
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. board — a committee
  13. track — a song
  14. net — for catching
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. shower — to wash
  23. board — to get on
  24. shower — rain

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