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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. board — to get on
  6. charge — in control
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — in music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. board — a committee
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — to wash
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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