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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · dip · cap · chair · net · court · current · chest

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. current — happening now
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. current — of water
  7. chest — a box
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — electric
  11. net — after costs
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — in sport
  14. court — of law
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cap — a hat
  17. board — to get on
  18. net — for catching
  19. court — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. court — of a king
  24. cap — of ice

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