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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. current — of water
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. current — electric
  14. drill — a practice
  15. current — happening now
  16. board — to get on
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. club — for golf
  20. clip — a video
  21. club — a group
  22. drill — army training
  23. board — a committee
  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