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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — to get on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — a gift
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. charge — in control
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. shower — rain
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. charge — a price
  16. present — there
  17. board — a committee
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chip — to eat
  22. present — the time now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — electricity

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