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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fine — high quality
  7. season — of the year
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fine — all right
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. board — to get on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — in sport
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. board — a committee
  24. arm — part of the body

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