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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. board — to get on
  6. fall — the season
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fine — high quality
  11. land — to come down
  12. firm — decided
  13. fall — to drop
  14. firm — steady
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — a face
  18. cold — an illness
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. fine — all right
  22. mug — to rob
  23. board — a committee
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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