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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. last — finally
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. board — to get on
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rock — a stone
  14. last — final
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stand — to bear
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. foot — a measure
  22. band — a ring
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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