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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. club — for dancing
  3. board — a committee
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to tire
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. board — to get on
  11. club — for golf
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. shower — to wash
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pass — a permit
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kid — child
  24. club — a group

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