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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. board — to get on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cap — a lid
  14. swing — music
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — of ice
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — a loud noise

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