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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — a committee
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — a list
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — to sink
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mate — to breed
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — child
  24. dip — to dunk

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