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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fall — the season
  4. last — to go on
  5. board — a committee
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. current — of water
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. current — electric
  12. last — finally
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fall — to drop
  15. board — to get on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. last — final
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — a kind of play

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