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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · stand · chest · pop · board · track · mine · club

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. club — a group
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chest — a box
  9. rush — hurry
  10. club — for dancing
  11. track — a path
  12. board — to get on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pop — soda
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — a song
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pop — music
  22. club — for golf
  23. board — a committee
  24. mine — belonging to me

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