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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. shower — to wash
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. shower — rain
  11. fall — the season
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. board — a committee
  24. fall — to drop

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