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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. face — to confront
  14. board — a committee
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a ring
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — to get on
  24. band — a music group

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