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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. shower — rain
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. craft — boats
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fork — in a road
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. craft — a skill
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitch — completely
  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