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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — part of the head
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. face — to confront
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — to get on
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. dip — to sink
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stock — goods
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rule — government
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stock — shares
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rule — a law
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. board — a committee

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