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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. board — a committee
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. board — to get on
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fan — a supporter

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