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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — to get on
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ground — a position
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. board — a committee

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