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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: chip · board · deal · squash · chair · bore · branch · bat

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bore — to tire
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chair — a leader
  9. deal — to handle
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. board — a committee
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. board — to get on
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. branch — a division
  21. squash — to crush
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bat — for baseball

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