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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. firm — steady
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — rain
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. tube — a container
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. firm — decided
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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