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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — in music
  8. hand — help
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a hole
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. board — a committee
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. key — for a lock
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. season — in sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — of the year
  24. board — to get on

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