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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a document
  3. fall — the season
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. toast — bread
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — to get on
  13. file — a line of people
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — a path
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. field — a subject
  18. track — to keep track
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. track — a song
  21. board — a committee
  22. file — a tool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wind — moving air

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