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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: rock · pitcher · bat · object · rush · board · file · lean

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. object — an aim
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. object — to protest
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lean — thin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to bend
  17. board — a committee
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. board — to get on
  23. object — a thing
  24. rush — to hurry

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