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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. board — to get on
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. board — a committee
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. drill — the tool

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