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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — rain
  6. board — to get on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. kick — in football
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. board — a committee
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. wound — an injury

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