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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — the season
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. board — a committee
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bass — low music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. board — to get on

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