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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 116 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: row · straw · mark · stand · chair · race · board · track

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — a trace
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — to paddle
  6. track — a song
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chair — a leader
  11. board — a committee
  12. race — a contest
  13. track — a path
  14. board — to get on
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. track — to keep track

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