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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: kick · board · rock · mouse · shower · fan · chest · bulb

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rock — music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chest — a box
  23. kick — in football
  24. rock — to move gently

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