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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. board — a committee
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — an illness
  10. key — in music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pop — music
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. chair — a leader
  21. board — to get on
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fall — the season
  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