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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitch — completely
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. hand — help
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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