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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. board — to get on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fall — to drop
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. court — of law
  10. dip — to sink
  11. scale — size or range
  12. board — a committee
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — clever
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — in music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  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