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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — to get on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — there
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. lie — to recline
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — the season
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spell — magic
  19. present — a gift
  20. band — a music group
  21. present — the time now
  22. board — a committee
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fall — to drop

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