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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — the season
  6. mate — a partner
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. board — a committee
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mate — to breed
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. swing — music

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