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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. perch — the fish
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — obliged
  10. last — finally
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — a cup
  15. shower — rain
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — a committee
  19. mug — a face
  20. board — to get on
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. last — final
  24. club — for golf

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