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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — happening now
  3. board — to get on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cold — an illness
  11. drill — army training
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. plane — a tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. board — a committee
  19. current — of water
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. current — electric
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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