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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — to come down
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. row — to paddle
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — a line
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. board — to get on

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