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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. board — to get on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — to wash
  8. board — a committee
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — a trail
  14. content — happy
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. date — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — the tool

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