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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 · rush · land · racket · saw · lash · capital · roll

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. land — a country
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — a committee
  14. capital — money
  15. roll — a cake
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. capital — a city
  23. saw — the tool
  24. board — a flat piece

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