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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. craft — a skill
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. board — a committee
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — help
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chip — to eat
  16. track — to keep track
  17. board — to get on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. craft — boats
  22. track — a path
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chip — in a computer

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