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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · content · fall · shower · snap · ruler · pit · straw

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — a committee
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. pit — a hole
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. board — to get on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. snap — to click
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. shower — to wash
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — a straw man

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