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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 116 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. object — a thing
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. object — an aim
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — to protest
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. board — a committee
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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