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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — rain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ball — a great time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — wild animals
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a dance
  24. game — a match

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