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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. object — a thing
  5. board — a committee
  6. fall — the season
  7. object — to protest
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — to get on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bass — the fish
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. object — an aim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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