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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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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: rock · board · chair · bay · chest · pit · straw · hide

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — to get on
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chest — of your body
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chair — a leader
  24. hide — to keep secret

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