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

Word bank: bay · deal · plane · last · board · pop · cold · fall

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cold — an illness
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. last — to go on
  9. cold — not warm
  10. last — final
  11. pop — soda
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fall — to drop
  14. board — to get on
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. board — a committee
  24. deal — a big deal

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