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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. last — final
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. roll — a list
  5. fall — to drop
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — finally
  13. roll — a cake
  14. board — a committee
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. board — to get on
  22. mark — a grade
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — the season

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