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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. board — a committee
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chair — a leader
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cell — in biology
  17. board — to get on
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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