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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: mate · hand · cap · rule · fork · ground · board · chair

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rule — government
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. board — a committee
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — a position
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ground — the earth
  14. board — to get on
  15. hand — help
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rule — a law
  18. chair — a leader
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mate — a partner

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