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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · game · season · board · wind · chair · fall · rush

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. season — in sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. board — a committee
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wind — moving air
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — the season
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — to drill
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wind — moving air

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