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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. track — a song
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the fish
  9. charge — in control
  10. content — happy
  11. last — final
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. charge — a price
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — a committee
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — a path
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — finally

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