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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: bound · rush · sharp · jam · board · cabinet · spring · chest

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — hurry
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — a box
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — tied together
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. board — a committee
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. board — to get on
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — certain
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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