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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: chair · spell · pound · bat · tube · board · pit · cabinet

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spell — a short time
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. board — a committee
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spell — letters
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tube — a container
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — magic

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