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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. club — for dancing
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — low music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fall — to drop
  13. club — for golf
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — the season
  23. board — to get on
  24. cell — a phone

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