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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. clip — a video
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chest — of your body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. board — a committee
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. shower — rain
  24. chest — of your body

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