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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — to get on
  5. toast — bread
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fine — all right
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fall — to drop
  14. shower — rain
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a committee
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a tool
  24. ball — a dance

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