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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: board · wind · present · row · date · rush · foot · bowl

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. row — a line
  5. present — the time now
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. board — to get on
  10. present — a gift
  11. foot — a measure
  12. board — a committee
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — there
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. date — the fruit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rush — hurry
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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