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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: snap · march · board · dip · mark · rest · bear · fall

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. fall — the season
  10. rest — a break
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a grade
  18. dip — to sink
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. mark — a trace
  24. march — music

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