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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. board — a committee
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — in music
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. staff — employees
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — to get on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mouse — the animal

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