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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. plane — a tool
  3. current — of water
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — money
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. current — happening now
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. board — to get on
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. current — electric
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chest — a box

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