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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — certain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chest — a box
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mate — a friend

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