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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — to come down
  6. board — a committee
  7. land — a country
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — to get on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. season — in sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — of the year
  19. drill — army training
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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