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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — the amount
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bat — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. board — a committee
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fall — the season
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fall — to drop

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