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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · fall · clip · roll · foot · lie · key · pop

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. roll — a list
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — for a lock
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fall — the season
  17. lie — to recline
  18. key — in music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — soda
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pop — music
  24. lie — an untruth

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