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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. board — to get on
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. board — a committee
  7. fine — all right
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hand — help
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. shower — rain
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cap — of ice
  18. kick — in football
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stand — to bear
  21. fine — high quality
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a flat piece

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