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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: mine · hand · bore · staff · jam · board · row · chair

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bore — to drill
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. staff — a stick
  9. row — to paddle
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hand — in cards
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. row — a line

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