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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. board — to get on
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — a trail
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bulb — for light

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