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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 124 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rule — a law
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rule — government
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pop — soda
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — in biology
  12. board — to get on
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. swing — music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. board — a committee
  19. cell — a phone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bank — for money
  22. pop — music
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. perch — for a bird

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