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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 120 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: face · squash · ruler · board · rush · cue · wound · chest

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. board — a committee
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. board — to get on
  17. squash — to crush
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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