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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chest — of your body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chest — a box
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — a path
  24. stem — of a plant

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