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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. present — a gift
  5. current — electric
  6. row — to paddle
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. board — to get on
  11. chest — a box
  12. row — a line
  13. current — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — the time now
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. present — there
  23. current — happening now
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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