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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fall — the season
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — in cards
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. hand — help
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — finally
  23. field — a subject
  24. rash — hasty

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