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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 120 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: chair · lean · kid · board · bowl · clip · mate · current

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — to cut
  11. current — electric
  12. board — a committee
  13. kid — child
  14. board — to get on
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. clip — a video
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lean — thin
  20. kid — to tease
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chair — a leader

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