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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a committee
  6. hand — in cards
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. shower — to wash
  12. charge — a price
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. board — to get on
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stock — goods
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stock — shares
  22. cap — a lid
  23. shower — rain
  24. charge — in control

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