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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fall — the season
  3. board — a committee
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cell — a phone
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. kid — child
  18. fall — to drop
  19. prune — to trim
  20. board — to get on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. dip — to dunk

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