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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.

Make a worksheet

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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. board — a committee
  4. rush — hurry
  5. toast — bread
  6. bound — tied together
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. board — to get on
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bound — obliged

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