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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. shower — rain
  4. toast — bread
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a music group
  8. roll — a cake
  9. shower — to wash
  10. band — a ring
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fall — to drop
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mug — a face
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fall — to drop
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. roll — a list
  24. fall — the season

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