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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · bark · board · squash · pitch · fall · current · hide

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. squash — the sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — of water
  20. board — to get on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitch — completely

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