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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pop — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. pop — soda
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. squash — to crush
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — to shout
  14. board — to get on
  15. pass — a permit
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. board — a committee
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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