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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fall — the season
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bat — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spell — letters
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. board — a committee

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