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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 120 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: staff · court · cabinet · cold · track · suit · chair · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — an illness
  4. track — a path
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — of a king
  9. track — a song
  10. suit — to fit
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. board — a committee
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — a leader
  21. court — for sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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