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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: ball · fall · mine · bowl · wind · rash · board · cabinet

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rash — a series
  8. wind — moving air
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fall — the season
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ball — a dance

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