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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. board — to get on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. roll — a list
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. court — for sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — of a king
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. board — a committee
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bat — in an idiom

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