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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: mug · rash · roll · wound · calf · board · pop · chair

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rash — hasty
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — a leader
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pop — to visit
  12. board — to get on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mug — a face
  17. roll — a cake
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pop — music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — a series
  23. roll — a list
  24. wound — an injury

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