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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fall — to drop
  6. board — a committee
  7. field — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. snap — to click
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — what's left
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. clip — a video
  24. board — to get on

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