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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — help
  13. last — finally
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — in cards
  16. last — to go on
  17. board — to get on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a committee
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. roll — a list
  23. track — a path
  24. roll — a cake

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