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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: pit · board · lean · cap · prune · ground · net · chair

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. board — to get on
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ground — crushed
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cap — of ice
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — the earth
  22. net — for catching
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — a position

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