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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — a thing
  8. stem — to come from
  9. present — there
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. present — a gift
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fine — all right
  23. chest — a box
  24. present — the time now

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