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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chest — a box
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rash — a series
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a committee
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — rain

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