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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lean — to bend
  5. game — a match
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. board — a committee
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — thin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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