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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fall — the season
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. kid — child
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. board — a committee
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a match
  17. snap — to click
  18. foot — a measure
  19. game — wild animals
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. board — to get on
  24. foot — part of the body

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