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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — a committee
  6. present — the time now
  7. spring — of water
  8. chest — a box
  9. rash — a series
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fine — high quality
  19. board — to get on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — all right
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. present — a gift
  24. spring — the season

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