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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. firm — decided
  2. board — a committee
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. firm — a company
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — to come down
  9. fall — to drop
  10. firm — steady
  11. cap — a lid
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — of ice
  14. board — to get on
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. snap — to click
  20. land — ground
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — a country
  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