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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. press — to push
  8. snap — to click
  9. board — to get on
  10. spell — a short time
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a committee
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chair — a leader
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — letters
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — to sit on

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