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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. board — a committee
  5. fall — the season
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. board — to get on
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. prune — the fruit

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