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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. board — a committee
  10. fall — the season
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. board — to get on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. file — a document
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. board — a flat piece

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