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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fall — to drop
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — to drop
  6. root — the cause
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — the season
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cap — a lid
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. net — for catching
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cap — a hat
  24. sharp — exactly

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