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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. present — there
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. board — a committee
  12. present — a gift
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — employees

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