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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spell — magic
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spell — letters
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. board — a committee
  21. kick — in football
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. shower — rain
  24. pound — for dogs

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