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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rule — a law
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pop — soda
  12. stand — to bear
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — for digging
  17. shower — rain
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rule — government
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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