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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mark — a grade
  12. board — a committee
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. shower — rain
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mark — a trace

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