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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: cabinet · rash · mate · clip · fall · board · last · fan

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. clip — for paper
  9. last — finally
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — final
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — to go on
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — a supporter

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