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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. shower — to wash
  3. key — in music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. key — the most important part
  6. board — a committee
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. board — to get on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — the season
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. key — for a lock
  24. foot — a measure

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