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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
468
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: stand · spell · board · straw · mate · ball · cell · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cell — in biology
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a dance
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spell — magic
  17. board — a committee
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rush — to hurry

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