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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fall — the season
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. board — to get on
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pass — a permit
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. swing — music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a committee
  24. mine — belonging to me

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