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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. board — a committee
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. present — the time now
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — farmland
  16. board — to get on
  17. present — a gift
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. present — there
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — in sport
  24. field — for sport

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