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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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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — the month
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. shower — to wash
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. march — the month
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — of the year
  17. pop — to visit
  18. board — a committee
  19. march — music
  20. kick — in football
  21. pop — music
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. craft — a skill

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