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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rule — a law
  3. fall — the season
  4. rule — government
  5. land — a country
  6. mate — a partner
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spring — of water
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. land — to come down
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. land — ground
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — to breed
  23. board — to get on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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