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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chip — to eat
  3. shower — rain
  4. row — a line
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. row — to paddle
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. board — a committee
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — in music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — to get on
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chip — for betting

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