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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 124 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — letters
  9. board — to get on
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spell — magic
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a committee
  16. shower — rain
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cabinet — ministers

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