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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: race · mark · bat · ball · fan · fall · board · stand

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ball — a dance
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — humankind
  7. stand — to bear
  8. race — a contest
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. board — to get on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. board — a committee
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ball — a round shape

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