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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — magic
  9. mug — a face
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — to rob
  14. object — a thing
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — the tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. board — to get on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — a short time
  24. board — a committee

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