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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. content — the amount
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. board — a committee
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. shower — rain
  10. content — happy
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rock — music
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. board — to get on
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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