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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — to wash
  5. face — to confront
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. board — a committee
  8. toast — bread
  9. fall — to drop
  10. board — to get on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — the season
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. face — to point toward
  24. racket — a loud noise

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