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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. board — a committee
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. file — a document
  10. shower — rain
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. firm — a company
  13. file — a tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. file — a line of people
  17. firm — steady
  18. board — to get on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — moving air
  21. firm — decided
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. shower — to wash

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