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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — electric
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ball — a great time
  9. current — happening now
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. snap — to click
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — in sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a dance
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — for catching
  22. tear — to rip
  23. board — to get on
  24. current — of water

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