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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — to get on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fall — to drop
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. current — of water
  10. band — a ring
  11. current — happening now
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fall — the season
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. band — a music group
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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