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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — in sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cap — a lid
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cap — of ice
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rash — a series
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. shower — to wash
  21. race — a contest
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a committee
  24. craft — boats

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