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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — in sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — a lid
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pit — a hole
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a hat
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — after costs
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — for a bird

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