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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — magic
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — a committee
  7. spell — letters
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mug — a face
  12. last — final
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. fall — to drop

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