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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chest — a box
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. board — a committee
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mate — to breed
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — a permit
  20. row — a line
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. row — a quarrel

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