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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. ground — a position
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — the earth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. craft — boats
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. board — to get on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a dance
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — a country
  15. board — a committee
  16. land — ground
  17. ball — a great time
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — to come down
  20. ground — crushed
  21. shower — rain
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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