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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: rush · rock · foot · ground · hand · present · season · board

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ground — crushed
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rock — music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. present — there
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rock — a stone
  16. present — the time now
  17. board — a committee
  18. season — of the year
  19. ground — the earth
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hand — help
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — in sport

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