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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — a committee
  3. stand — to bear
  4. can — to be able to
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. board — to get on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — a tin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fall — the season

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