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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. board — a committee
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. object — an aim
  9. fall — the season
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. game — a match
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chair — a leader
  21. object — a thing
  22. rush — hurry
  23. board — to get on
  24. chair — to sit on

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