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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — the cause
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — for sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — to get on
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. key — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. root — of a word
  20. field — farmland
  21. board — a committee
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. root — of a plant

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