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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. band — a ring
  5. foot — a measure
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pit — in a race
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. present — a gift
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. present — there
  14. board — to get on
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a music group
  19. mine — for digging
  20. present — the time now
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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