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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — to drop
  7. can — a tin
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — to be able to
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lean — to bend
  18. can — a tin
  19. board — to get on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fan — a supporter

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