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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. board — to get on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rush — hurry
  18. game — a match
  19. march — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — rain
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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