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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. board — a committee
  3. firm — steady
  4. scale — in music
  5. cell — in biology
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fall — the season
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. fall — to drop
  12. march — the month
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. firm — a company
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. firm — decided
  24. bowl — a dish

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