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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. board — to get on
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — a committee
  8. present — a gift
  9. chest — a box
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — in biology
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chest — of your body
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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