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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — ground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pound — a weight
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spell — magic
  15. land — a country
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. board — to get on
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. snap — to click
  24. rest — what's left

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