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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. last — finally
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — final
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. board — a committee
  15. rush — hurry
  16. board — to get on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cap — a lid
  24. shower — rain

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