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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · wind · board · racket · rush · straw · rule · net

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. net — after costs
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — hurry
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rule — a law
  10. bass — low music
  11. net — for catching
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — in sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rule — government
  19. board — a committee
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bass — the fish

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