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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — clever
  7. band — a music group
  8. board — to get on
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. degree — from a university
  12. board — a committee
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pit — in a race
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mug — a face
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mug — to rob
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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