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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — goods
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stock — shares
  8. current — happening now
  9. row — a line
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — help
  14. board — to get on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. board — a committee
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — of water
  23. plane — a tool
  24. current — electric

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