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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. board — a committee
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a partner
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fall — to drop
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — a friend
  12. board — to get on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — a tool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fall — the season
  24. mate — to breed

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