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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 124 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — rain
  5. object — to protest
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. board — a committee
  8. object — a thing
  9. mate — a friend
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — to breed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. land — ground
  14. board — to get on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. present — the time now
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — there
  20. shower — to wash
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. object — an aim

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