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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a committee
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. cap — a hat
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — a lid
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — in sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. board — to get on
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bulb — of a plant

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