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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a document
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — a committee
  12. file — a tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. board — to get on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fall — the season

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