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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. can — a tin
  3. plane — a tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — for digging
  7. craft — a skill
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. can — to be able to
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. can — a tin
  13. craft — boats
  14. board — a committee
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — in sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — to add flavour

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