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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rush — hurry
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rule — a law
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — a position
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. board — a committee
  14. ground — the earth
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. present — the time now
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. present — there
  24. rush — a thrill

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