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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — a break
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. board — to get on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. roll — a list
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. snap — to click
  24. band — a rubber band

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