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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
468
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: date · board · chair · chest · dip · season · bear · pitcher

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. dip — to sink
  4. season — in sport
  5. chest — a box
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. board — a committee
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — to get on
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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