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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fall — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rock — a stone

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