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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fall — the season
  5. board — to get on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. clip — to cut
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — a committee
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — a video
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — a path
  21. ball — a dance
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. clip — for paper
  24. track — to keep track

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