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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. scale — in music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. row — a line
  13. degree — temperature
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ball — a dance
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. degree — an amount
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rush — hurry
  23. degree — from a university
  24. shower — to wash

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