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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: jam · fall · roll · nail · chest · board · shower · toast

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — the season
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chest — a box
  15. roll — a list
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. shower — rain
  20. toast — bread
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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