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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rash — hasty
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rash — a series
  23. rule — government
  24. nail — for a hammer

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