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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — for paper
  4. board — to get on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — of water
  9. board — a committee
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — size or range
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fall — the season
  15. current — electric
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stock — goods
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stock — a soup base

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