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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — to wash
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stem — a stem cell

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