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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. snap — to click
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — to get on
  5. fall — the season
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pass — a permit
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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