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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 · board · mate · capital · lean · face · chest · squash

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chest — a box
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — money
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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