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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. scale — in music
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lean — to bend
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — final

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