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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. tear — to rip
  15. row — a line
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. board — to get on
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  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