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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: object · shower · ruler · tear · board · deal · present · chest

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chest — a box
  4. present — the time now
  5. object — a thing
  6. present — there
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — rain
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — a committee
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. object — an aim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. object — to protest
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — to wash
  24. deal — an agreement

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