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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — in sport
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ground — crushed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. board — to get on
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — a position
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. sharp — clever
  20. net — after costs
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chest — a box
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — of a tree

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