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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 your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cap — of ice
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chest — a box
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. board — to get on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cap — a hat
  12. craft — boats
  13. cap — a lid
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — to wash
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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