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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cap — of ice
  3. board — a committee
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. last — finally
  10. shower — to wash
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. clip — to cut
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — to go on
  19. clip — for paper
  20. game — a match
  21. last — final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cap — a hat

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