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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fall — the season
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — a committee
  8. chair — a leader
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. staff — employees

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