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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lean — thin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fall — the season
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a committee
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stand — on your feet

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