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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — a company
  4. board — to get on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — to go on
  7. firm — steady
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — finally
  11. board — a committee
  12. fall — the season
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bass — low music
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. last — final
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — employees
  23. firm — decided
  24. stand — on your feet

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