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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — to get on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — a city
  7. shower — rain
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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