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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. bark — to shout
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. craft — a skill
  15. board — to get on
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cold — an illness
  20. craft — boats
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. lash — to lash out

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