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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — an illness
  12. craft — a skill
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. shower — rain
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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