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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: kick · rash · game · board · bound · march · suit · rush

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — hasty
  5. march — music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — in cards
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — certain
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kick — in football
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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