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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: march · stand · chair · firm · board · face · game · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. face — to point toward
  3. firm — steady
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. march — the month
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. board — to get on
  11. firm — a company
  12. game — a match
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. firm — decided
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. game — wild animals
  22. board — a committee
  23. march — music
  24. board — a flat piece

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