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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. board — a committee
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — to get on
  19. face — part of the head
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spell — magic

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