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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mate — a partner
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mate — a friend
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. board — to get on
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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