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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. fall — the season
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — a gift
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — a line
  16. face — to confront
  17. present — there
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. row — to paddle
  20. face — part of the head
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. field — a subject
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — farmland

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