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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. board — a committee
  6. scale — size or range
  7. land — ground
  8. stand — to bear
  9. land — a country
  10. swing — music
  11. fall — the season
  12. swing — in golf
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — to come down
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. scale — in music
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. lean — thin
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. swing — to play 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