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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rock — a stone
  4. board — to get on
  5. rock — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — help
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. shower — rain
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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