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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — for catching
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. can — a tin
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — after costs
  10. shower — rain
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. board — a committee
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the fish
  19. net — in sport
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bass — low music

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