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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — for sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. shower — rain
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bank — of a river
  10. kick — in football
  11. stand — to bear
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. bank — for money
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. board — to get on
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — a committee
  24. bank — for money

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