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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fall — to drop
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fall — to drop
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mark — a trace
  16. charge — a price
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. charge — in control

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