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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. board — a committee
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pop — soda
  10. board — to get on
  11. track — a path
  12. fork — in a road
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pop — music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — a song
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — a box

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