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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — army training
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. board — a committee
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. capital — a city
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. drill — the tool
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — in cards

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