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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · cell · spell · mate · drill · face · rush · board

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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. rush — to hurry
  4. spell — letters
  5. cell — a phone
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — magic
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — to breed
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mate — a partner
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rush — hurry
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — army training
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mate — a friend

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