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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — after costs
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rock — music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — a kind of play

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